North Dakota Stays Focused on Career Readiness Options

(Adobe Stock via Prairie News Service)

(By Mike Moen. Prairie News Service ) – New national data reinforce what labor analysts have been warning for years: The U.S. economy faces a severe skills shortage. States are responding to ensure students have solid credentials, with North Dakota part of the conversation.

The Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce reported more than 170 occupations will see skills shortages through at least 2032, as more baby boomers with postsecondary education retire. The rate will far outpace the number of young workers with similar qualifications joining the labor market.

Alyssa Martin, director of the North Dakota Center for Distance Education, said the state has invested heavily in career and technical education but knows it can do more.

“We’re really intentional at the Center about thinking about those students that aren’t being reached,” Martin explained. “And how we can utilize our services in order to ensure that they have the same opportunities as their peers.”